November 06, (THEWILL) – A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove the names of all Action Alliance (AA) candidates, including the presidential candidate, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), submitted to it by the Kenneth Udeze-led faction of the party.
The order, made known to newsmen in Kaduna, on Saturday, however ruled that the electoral body should display the list of candidates submitted to it by the party’s leadership under the chairmanship of Adekunle Rufai Omoaje.
The court, presided over by Justice Z.B Abubakar, also held that the electoral body erred by failing to give recognition to the list of candidates submitted to it by the Omoaje-led faction.
Justice Abubakar, who cited section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, ordered that INEC should immediately publish the names and addresses of all candidates submitted by Omoaje on behalf of the Action Alliance.
“By the provision of section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC should publish by displaying at the relevant office or offices of INEC and on its website.”
Reacting to the development, the National Chairman of AA, Adekunle Omoaje, said Kenneth Udeze, who had been parading himself as leader of the party, was expelled from the party since February 14, 2020, during the party’s National Convention in Osogbo.
Omoaje, on behalf of himself and the Action Alliance, approached the court to seek redress on the non-recognition of the candidates submitted to INEC by him on behalf of the party.
Al-Mustapha was announced as the presidential candidate of the AA by INEC and his name already published on the website of the electoral body.
By the judgement of the court, the candidates already announced by INEC including the presidential candidate, Major Al-mustapha (rtd), are expected to be substituted by the list of candidates submitted by Omoaje.
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